Steel vehicle wheel



July 26,1927. V 1.637.

A. R. JAYNE STEEL VEHICLE WHEEL Filed March 21. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jul 26 19 y 27 A. R. JAYNE STEEL VEHICLE WHEEL Filed March 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 secured to Patented Jul 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,637,256 PATENT OFFICE.

AIES BOWLES JAYNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 AMERICAN STEEL WHEEL CORPORATION, 01' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

s'rnnr. v'nnrcnn WHEEL.

Application filed larch 21, 1 925. Serial No. 17,248.

This invention relates to metal vehicle wheels and more particularly to wheels formed from a pair of metal wheel halves, the spoke members of which are provided with projections or lugs adapted to be secured either to the rim'or felloe of a wheel.

It is an object of this invention to provide a metal vehicle wheel wherein a pair of abutting hub spoke members are adapted to be secured within a rim section by means of lugs formed on said hub spokesections.

It is also an object of this invention to provide 'a wheel wherein punched and formed wheel halves having projections in tegrally formed thereon are adapted to be enga d through openings in a rim or felloe and out over to rigidly hold the wheel halves and the rim or felloe in assembledrelation to form a completed wheel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wheel wherein a pair of formed wheel halves are adapted to have parts thereof projecting into engagement with a rim section to hold the wheel halves and rim section asembled without the use of rivets or bolts.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a two-piece spoked sheet metal wheel wherein the separate halves are ther at the hub while the ends of the spe es are provided with lugs which are adapted to be projected through openings in a rim or felloe and then bent over to hold thewheel halves and rim properly assembled with the intermediate portions of the spokes between the hub and rim being ressed together by slightly bowing the same before assembling to obtain resilient s okes capable of slight yielding to absorbs ocks without permanent distortion. I Still another object of the invention is to a provide a wheel wherein a pair of abutting wheel halves are adapted to be rigidly secured within a rim or felloe without the use of rivets or bolts. I y It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved metal wheel of simple andimproved construction consisting of aminimum number of pa and obviating the use of rivets and bolts.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in thespecification and the accoman drawings." I Thi a invention (in a preferred form) is outwardly beyond the ends of the proper to preferably form elongated lugs or illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. I

On the drawings:v

Figure 1.is a side elevation of a vehicle wheel embodying the features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a slightly enlarged side elevation of awheel showing the method of assembly. 4

Figure 3 is an tail section taken ure 1.

\ Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail section taken on line IF-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary circumferential View taken on line V-V of Figure 3 showing the spoke in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a spoke rigidly secured to a felloe instead of directly to a rim.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 indicates a metal wheel rim of any desired design or construction, said rim being provided with a plurality of sets of circumferentially positioned apertures or openings 2 referably elongated longitudinally of the rim. Positioned within the'rim 1 are a pair of abutting one-piece wheel halves formed by punching and pressing unitary blanks from sheet metal. The wheel halves each comprise a hub disc 3 and a plurality of radially directed spoke halves 4 which taper outwardly and are of asubstantially semicircular form with the margins of said spokes being formed to provide integral outwardly directed flanges 5. The flanges 5 of the spokes form the matin or abutting surfaces between the wheel ha ves. The spokes and flanges are pressed to form a slight convex curve on the 'order of a hyperbola, the curve having a variable radius least at the .center of the length of the spokes and greatest at the ends of the spokes to concentrate enlarged fragmentary deon line IIIIII of Figthe initial bend or deformation at the oen ter of I the spokes.

The disc ortions 30f the wheel halves are 7 adapted to slipped over a wheel hub provided with bolts 6 whic outer discs 7. r

The outer ends of the s oke flan es 5 are widened to form flat-face ears an project spokes project through aperture agertured bosses for receiving 1 fingers 8 lying in the lane of the fiat-faced ears and approximate y one-half the width of the openings 2. The lugs 8 of abutting spoke halves register withone another when the spoke-halves are placed to ether and each set of contacting lugs are a apted to be projected through a single aperture 2 formed same together by means of the discs 7 and the bolts 6, after which the split rim 1 is placed-around the wheel halves as indicated in full lines in Figure 2. The-split rim 1 is then constricted into dotted line position of Figure 2 permitting the lugs 8 to be rojected through the apertures 2 in the w eel rim -1. The abuttin ends of the .rim may be secured together iy any suitable means after which the lugs 8 are bent over as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 to form the assembled wheel,

It will thus be noted that the wheel may be assembled without the use of rivets or bolts for the purpose of connecting the ends of the spokes with the rim 1. The construction is a very simple one and permits metal wheels of the class described to be manufactured at greatly reduced costs without in any way impairing the strength of the wheels. If desired, eachlpair of outwardly bent lugs 8 may be line welded. This construction will serve to obviate any te dency of the lugs being pulled through th 'aper tures in the wheel rim.

The lug construction at the ends of the kes'permits the lugs to be engaged t rough the rim at a plurality of posltions thereby affording a wheel construction.

wherein the ends of the spoke are held against a turning movement with respect to the wheel rim.

In bolting the two wheel halves together at the hub, the spokes are drawn tightly to: gether around their abutting flanges 5 with an initial stress sufficient to maintain a tight joint without welding or riveting thou h welding may be resortedto if desired. e hyperbolic curve given the flanges has been found to give the most uniform distribution flange joints.

It will benoted t at such a oint produces a wheel which wi have lateral resiliency due to the ability of the joints to permit relative movement of the two spoke halves without in any way the strength oisthe avheel in i of pressure along the entire lenFth of the If desired, two wheel halves may be placed in contacting relation with the lugs 8 of the spokes of the respective wheel halves con tacting one another. The two wheel halves may then be placed within a closed rim, with the endsof the lugs ositioned to register. with the a ertureswit in the rim.

The initial bowing or curvature 'ven the spoke halves results in slightly s ortening the spoke halves in their freeeondition. The spoke halves are therefore iiiade slightlly longer than would be ossible without hen ing and are expande intoposition against the rim when the oke halves are brought together by tightemng the hub sections togctllcr by means of the discs 7 and bolts 6. The rim is thus tensioned while the spokes are compressed thereb insuring very firm contact between the spe es and the rim. The ends of the lugs 8 projecting through the rim apertures are bent over at substantially right angles as indicated, thereby forming a complete wheel. The bent over age may be line welded if desired to form a wheel of greater strength.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified construc tion wherein the lugs 8 of the spoke halves 4 are projected through openings in a wheel felloe 9, and then bent over as indicated to hold the spoke secured to said felloe. In U this vconstruction it will be noted that the spokes are secured to a wheel felloe instead of being directly connected to the wheel rim.

Figure 6 illustrates an arrangement wherein the metal wheel provided is of the demountable rim type while Fi re 3 illustrates a wheel construction w ich is demountable at the hub. Y c I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide ran 0 without departing from the principles 0 this invention, and I therefore do not pu ose. limiting the patent granted hereon, ot erwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A metallic wheel comprising a rim section apertured at intervals around its circumference and apair of abuttin wheel halves having spoke portions, can oke portion of each wheel half being provided at its outer end with a pair of projecting lugs spaced apart the width of the outer eye of the ,spoke portion and which extend through the said apertures in the rim section and having their free ends bent over to clamp the rim and wheel halves together.

2. A metallic wheel comprising a rim section apertured at intervals around.-its..circumference. the apertures being elongated longitudinally of the rim, a pair of abuttin wheel-halves having spoke portions, eac spoke portion of each wheel-half being rovided atits outer endwith a pair 0 e ongated projecting apart the width ll 10 portions. each s tnres around 3 its circumference, a

abutting wheel-halves having radla spoke of the outer endthereof and which extend through the said apertures in the rim section and having their free'ends bent over in a direction transversely of the rim to clamp 5 the rim and'wheel-halves together.

3. A metallic Wheel comprising a rim section having a single line ofelongated apernires around its circumference, a air of abutting wheel-halves having radia spoke oke portion of each wheelhalf being provided at its outer end with a pair of elongated projecting lugs spaced apart the width of the outer end thereof and which extend through said elongated apertures of the rim section, each of said elongated apertures being sufiiciently wide transversely to receive a pair of contacting lugs. one on each wheel-halfithe free ends of said lugs of opposite wheel-halves being bent oppositely to each other upon the outer side of the rim section to clamp the rim section and wheel-halves together.

4. A metallic wheel comprising a rim section having a single line of elongated aperi air 0 portions, each spoke portion of each wheeL half being widened at its upper end to form a flat-facedear'which is projected outward- 0 iv to provide an elongated lug at opposite sides'thereof and which extend through said elongated apertures of the rim section, each of said elongated apertures being sufiiciently wide transversely to receive a pair of contacting lugs, one on each wheel-half, the free end of said lugs of opposite wheel-halves being bent oppositely to each other upon the outer side of the rim section to clamp the rim section and wheel-halves together.

5. A metallic wheel comprising a rim section having a single line of elongated apertnres around its circumference, a air of abutting wheel-halves having radia s oke portions, each spoke portion of each wheelhalf being provided with an edge flange at each side which is widened at its upper end to forma flat-faced ear which is projected outwardly to providev an elongated lug at opposite sides thereof and which extend through said elongated a ertures of the rim section, each of said e gated apertures being sufiiciently wide transversely to receive a pair of contacting lugs, one on each wheel half,-the free end of said lugs of 0p- 'posite wheel-halves being bent oppositely to each other upon thev outer side of the rlm section to clamp the rim sectionand wheelhalves together.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

AMES ROWLES J AYNE. 

